Thursday, December 19, 2002

Despite a 20-year tradition of California governors delivering Christmas gifts to the St. Patrick's Home for Children, the school's director barred Davis from school grounds unless he would ask forgiveness for and disavow his views on abortion. Monsignor Edward J. Cavanaugh, director of the home since 1952, asked the governor to sign a letter declaring that he repents "of ever having promoted the killing of innocent unborn children." "We don't let any pro-abortion people in our grounds here," Cavanaugh said. "He should get his life together and he should change his whole philosophy on the unborn. He should stand up for the sanctity of human life."

Davis refused to sign the letter, and instead invited children from the home to the state Capitol to fetch their gifts. "He's entitled to his point of view and I'm entitled to mine. I'm unapologetically pro-choice and I'm not changing my position," Davis said. "Having said this, the tradition is about children, not grown-ups, I didn't want the kids to be disappointed."